Topic: Taping outside in the rain- is it worth trying?

[fsulloway]

so what do ya think? should we have packed it in? The video gives you an idea of how hard it was raining. we collapsed the umbrella and moved the stand underneath the sound guy's tent while our gear bags stayed in the seats fob.

[LikeASong]

I got rained the other day (it was a sudden summer storm so I didn't carry an umbrella) while taping an outdoor show, and I was so scared for the mics that I had to change my optimal position in the middle of the field for a crappy seat under the stadium's roof. My question is: do mics (standard, small stealth mics like CA14s with windscreens or AT943s without winds) GET actually damaged under wet conditions, or it's just that getting them wet MIGHT damage them?

[sacchini]

Sound Professionals SP-CMC-10 (Audio Technica 933) worked perfectly (and still working!) after 3 hours of heavy rain without protection, like this:


Not the weather I prefer but you can still try to get some audio from that...

[LikeASong]

Thanks for the answer. 3 hours of rain and still working is impressive - I doubt I would do that to my mics though

By the way... Is that The Boss?

[sacchini]

Thanks for the answer. 3 hours of rain and still working is impressive - I doubt I would do that to my mics though
By the way... Is that The Boss?

Well, no Neumann or Schoeps but 300$ of gear!!! 
And yes, Springsteen in Florence (Italy) on 10th of june 2012... 

[LikeASong]

Thanks for the answer. 3 hours of rain and still working is impressive - I doubt I would do that to my mics though
By the way... Is that The Boss?

Well, no Neumann or Schoeps but 300$ of gear!!! 
And yes, Springsteen in Florence (Italy) on 10th of june 2012... 

I would like to hear that recording (if possible). I'm a huge Bruce fan, and I'm curious as to how can a recording sound with the rain directly hitting the mics!

[sacchini]

Thanks for the answer. 3 hours of rain and still working is impressive - I doubt I would do that to my mics though
By the way... Is that The Boss?

Well, no Neumann or Schoeps but 300$ of gear!!! 
And yes, Springsteen in Florence (Italy) on 10th of june 2012... 

I would like to hear that recording (if possible). I'm a huge Bruce fan, and I'm curious as to how can a recording sound with the rain directly hitting the mics!

Here you are...
http://we.tl/1k133e8VOs
In info.txt file you'll find explanations; basically, 3 short MP3 samples (before the rain, after 2 hours of heavy rain and... getting underwater!).

[time will tell]

This has been one of the most informative threads that I have read. I don't know if I would bring my gear to a show that there was a 80%+ chance of rain, but I want to be prepared if I am taping not to let my gear get trashed. So far, this is the list that I have gathered from reading through this thread:

Umbrella and clamp for umbrella
zip lock bags for recorder and preamp/power
heavy duty garbage bags for back pack
towel for umbrella (clothes pins or clips for towel)
stakes and high gauge string or thin rope to keep stand from flying away
heavy duty wind screens
duct tape for connections
roll cables to help water run off, hold in place with zip ties

am i missing anything there?

[page]

am i missing anything there?

practice setting up and taking down as though it were raining.

If you want to see what it's like, take your stand, clamps, shockmounts, and umbrella (but not mics) and put them in the shower and adjust the shower head so it's pointed down. That should give you an idea of what it's like to fiddle with stuff while water is rolling off and help practice how to hold things so they don't get wet. If you do that, wrap about the last 6 inches of your cables in plastic wrap and tape them shut just in case you drop them or get them wet while practicing.

[darby]

I sometimes use 2 stands if possible and put the umbrella on a stand of it's own.
I find it much easier to raise and lower the separate stand,
plus if the umbrella does the Mary Poppins on you, your mics don't go flying thru the air.

[fatstratcat]

Lots of good info in this thread. I went to Tedeschi Trucks Band / The Black Crowes a couple of weeks ago. It rained the entire time, and I passed on recording during TTB, but clamped on under doodee's umbrella for the Crowes. I'm working on an umbrella for my rig now. I found a 21" golf bag umbrella I'm modifying - seems like a good size. Another taper was running during Tedeschi Trucks under an umbrella and caught the great timing of "The Sky Is Crying".

[JusTapin]

Is it worth trying?  It depends on how much you are willing to spend to repair or replace equipment.   I was caught in a torrential downpour between sets at a show back in June and figured the mics were already getting wet and thought I remembered reading here somewhere about it being ok (silly me  )!  Well, after $580 to have one of my mic preamps and both caps repaired, I won't fly naked again that's for sure.  Something else you may think about, as the AKG tech told me, electronics and moisture just don't go well together.   

From now on, as much as I'd hate to, I'll pull mine down and protect my gear considering it has cost me a small fortune to put together.  Also, considering most shows, at least the larger ones I do, are recorded at the board by the crew anyway so it's not like something that would be lost forever.

I'm not saying it can't be done or don't do it by any stretch, for me though it's just not worth the replacement or repair cost. 

[jbell]

You didn't use an umbrella?? 

Is it worth trying?  It depends on how much you are willing to spend to repair or replace equipment.   I was caught in a torrential downpour between sets at a show back in June and figured the mics were already getting wet and thought I remembered reading here somewhere about it being ok (silly me  )!  Well, after $580 to have one of my mic preamps and both caps repaired, I won't fly naked again that's for sure.  Something else you may think about, as the AKG tech told me, electronics and moisture just don't go well together.   

From now on, as much as I'd hate to, I'll pull mine down and protect my gear considering it has cost me a small fortune to put together.  Also, considering most shows, at least the larger ones I do, are recorded at the board by the crew anyway so it's not like something that would be lost forever.

I'm not saying it can't be done or don't do it by any stretch, for me though it's just not worth the replacement or repair cost.

[DigiGal]

Taping in the rain certainly isn't any fun, although personally I'd rather be prepared for the elements than to pack it in.  To each their own though because it's definitely not a competition and not everyone will be up for it.  Now an electrical storm is entirely different matter but then the show would be shut down anyway, for safety reasons.


This Portabrace promotional photo helps demonstrate you don't need to be macho to tape in the rain.

Here was a recent case in point of a show getting shut down for safety reasons during a lightning storm -->  http://archive.org/details/furthur2013-07-19.akg.digigal.125306.flac16
Oddly enough the storm looked to be coming closer and right after the show was called the weather cleared.  Stronger storms hit the area much later that night and perhaps the venue was ultimately concerned for their own crews safety in cleaning up after the concert was over, better safe than sorry!

It has rained for every outdoor concert I've taped this summer but I was prepared for the elements in protecting my gear so no worries. 

[LikeASong]

Taping in the rain certainly isn't any fun, although personally I'd rather be prepared for the elements than to pack it in.  To each their own though because it's definitely not a competition and not everyone will be up for it.  Now an electrical storm is entirely different matter but then the show would be shut down anyway, for safety reasons.


This Portabrace promotional photo helps demonstrate you don't need to be macho to tape in the rain.

Here was a recent case in point of a show getting shut down for safety reasons during a lightning storm -->  http://archive.org/details/furthur2013-07-19.akg.digigal.125306.flac16
Oddly enough the storm looked to be coming closer and right after the show was called the weather cleared.  Stronger storms hit the area much later that night and perhaps the venue was ultimately concerned for their own crews safety in cleaning up after the concert was over, better safe than sorry!

It has rained for every outdoor concert I've taped this summer but I was prepared for the elements in protecting my gear so no worries. 

Another famous recent example was Pearl Jam's show at Wrigley Field, Chicago. Show was held up for 3 hours after a lightning storm reached the area. The Chicago Major in person called to make sure the show was shut down due to the high danger. The fans waited inside the venue and when the storm was over the show was restarted (finished at 2 in the morning lol).